The Finnish tradition of gifting a box of free baby items to new mums is coming to Cambridgeshire.

Cambridge University Hospitals has teamed up with The Baby Box Co to provide products, including a 'firm foam mattress, waterproof mattress cover, and a cotton sheet'.

The scheme will start at the Rosie Hospital today (October 26) in the RVS café from 5.30pm to 7pm, with the aim of encouraging expectant mums to engage with maternity services and access care.

The box also doubles as a baby’s bed for the first few months, replacing the need for a traditional Moses basket or cot and includes newborn accessories.

The hospital is giving out baby boxes filled with newborn baby essentials

Julie Taylor-Robertson, community and Rosie Birth Centre lead midwife, said: “We are really pleased to have signed up with Baby Box to offer this service to our families, which is cost neutral to the Trust in return for our support.

“Our team of midwives have put together some fantastic educational videos for expectant mothers to access on the Baby Box website which will help them prepare for parenthood.

“That qualifies them for a free Baby Box which is internationally recognised as a very safe sleeping environment for babies.”

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A similar scheme was rolled out across Scotland by the Scottish Government in August - now other health authorities in parts of the UK are following suit.

It began as a Finnish Government initiative, which has been credited with reducing the infant mortality rate from 65 infant deaths per 1,000 births in 1938 to just 2.26 per 1,000 births in 2015.

By contrast, the UK has some of highest rates of infant mortality in Europe, ranking 22nd out of the 50 European countries with 4.19 deaths per 1,000 births.

The Rosie are giving out baby boxes from today (Image: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire)

How to get a baby box

If you are an expectant mum or parent in Cambridge, you can get your free Baby Box by watching a series of short videos put together by Rosie midwives and hosted on the childcare education platform www.babyboxuniversity.com .

Families will receive a certificate after watching the videos that can be redeemed for their free Baby Box, which is made of sturdy cardboard with an attractive, decorative design scientifically developed to stimulate baby brain development.

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